What does the sword mean to the samurai? Why has it continued to exist as the "soul of the samurai" for a thousand years? Without understanding this, the true nature of "Bushido" cannot be understood. Set in the Battle of Hakodate, which marked the end of the samurai era, this book follows the battles of Hijikata Toshizo and the former shogunate army, revealing the relationship between the rationality and spirituality of "martial arts and swords." This is a completely new type of samurai theory that fully discusses the appeal of the Japanese sword, which the Japanese people are beginning to forget!
